Last Day in Lisbon

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Today is our last full day in Lisbon as we move on to Madeira tomorrow for an extended stay. But it has been great to come to Lisbon and spend a few days in familiar territory while we catch our breath.

We made one short excursion this afternoon. One of our guidebooks told us we could get a one-day tram/bus/Metro/lift pass on the Rossio, so we picked up two. Caught tram #15 down to Praca do Comercio, walked back up through the Baixa a couple of blocks and caught #28W to the end of the line. The tram chugged up and down hills in rapid succession and for the first time I could feel the many comparisons between Lisbon and San Francisco that I´ve heard.

The line ends in the neighborhood of Estrela and the first thing you see is the large Basilica da Estrela. Figuring Mass was about to start, we went in. I´m always struck by the timeless feeling I get in European churches while at the same time appreciating the beauty, workmanship, and sheer dedication of the people who built them centuries ago. We could hear small children in the congregation and knew that those children would grow up, raise families and die as a part of that very cathedral.

The Jardim de Estrela is directly across the street from the church and we had a lovely stroll there. There were many strange trees I´ve never seen before, including one that looked like an hydranga tree with pink blossoms. There were more than a few families out for walks and to play ball. A craft fair was set up in one end with many whimsical items for sale.

Waiting to catch the tram back to Bairro Alto (upper town), we met a lovely Australian couple from Adelaide. Since Don and I have traveled through Australia but hadn´t made it to Adelaide, we had a great visit.

Getting off at Largo do Chiado, we had lunch at tables on the sidewalk in front of the Cafe Brasileira, next to a statue of the poet Fernando Pessoa sitting at his own table. Don is familiar with his work, but I´m not. Dozens of people came by to have their pictures taken sitting with him. I´m not sure if all those people know of him, or if they can´t resist the photo op.

It occurs to me as we´re eating lunch that all of the guidebooks we´ve seen on Lisbon cover the same territory. There has to be much more to this big city than the old town; Belem; the Parque das Nacoes, the former Expo ´98 site; and the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian. We´re going to have to do some more digging if we come back to spend more time here.

We started walking back to the Rossio, taking in another church along the way. It is the Jesuit Igreja de Sao Roque: plain on the outside, but very ornate inside. We found a series of stairs that brought us down from the upper town to the lower town that passed a number of intriguing little restaurants. Boy, does this city eat!

We had dinner tonight for the third straight evening at Cafe Nicola. We rarely eat at the same restaurant more than once, but it is so handy and so good that it seemed like the logical thing to do. Tried the Jinga drink we´ve heard so much about. It´s made from dried cherries and is really quite good.

More to come from Madeira!

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Photos

Basilica de Estrela
Late 18th century baroque church

Jardim da Estrela
One of Lisbon's public gardens

Fernando Pessoa
Statue of famous write who frequented this cafe

Restaurant on Stairway
Stairs leading from upper town to lower town

Comments

[Rui]

Things to do in Lisbon
Yes, there is much more to Lisbon than what comes on the guidebooks. It is a good idea to get off the beaten path and explore more of the city. I especially like the "unofficial" viewpoints and some of less popular museums such as the Tile Museum. My favorite museum is the Ancient Art Museum, which gets overlooked for the Gulbenkian. The www.golisbon.com site is the best online source for Lisbon, covering the entire city.